Data storage devices, such as disk drives, solid state drives and hybrid drives are employed in numerous areas such as computer systems (e.g., desktops, laptops, portables, etc.) and consumer devices (e.g., music players, cell phones, cameras, etc.). User data is typically stored in a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as a magnetic disk or a non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., Flash memory). Since the NVM is a noisy channel, the user data is typically encoded into codewords using any suitable coding technique which may include an iterative code (e.g., a Low Density Parity Check Code (LDPC)). The recorded codewords are read from the NVM and decoded so as to correct errors in the user data due to noise in the recording/reproduction process.